How to improve your local ranking factors to improve your real estate website’s SEO
Google shows local results first in many cases and to ensure that you are among those first few you need to ensure Google understands where you are located. In this article, we take a look at what you can do to improve Google’s understanding of your location, which will help your site’s SEO.
Google itself talks about local ranking factors in terms of:
Addressing the address
If you are a local real estate agency, why wouldn’t you add your address to your website? This is the most basic starting point for getting in on the local rankings.
From there you should add a Google My Business listing. Google My Business allows for customer reviews as well, and you should really aim to get some of those for your listing. Positive reviews (simply ask satisfied customers to leave a review) help the way Google and it’s visitors regard your business.
If people talk positively about your real estate agency, more people will be inclined to use you when it is time to sell or buy their properties.
Getting reviews is one. You can keep the conversation going by responding to these reviews and, as Google puts it, be a friend, not a salesperson.
Your site’s NAP needs to be exactly the same as your Google My Business listing’s NAP
Even if your business has multiple locations, make sure to match the main NAP (name, address, phone number) on your website with the Google My Business NAP. That is the only way to make sure Google makes the right connection between the two.
Facebook listing and reviews
What goes for Google My Business, goes for Facebook as well. Add your company as a page for a local business to Facebook here. People search a lot on Facebook as well, so you’d better make sure your listing on Facebook is in order.
Facebook also allows for reviews.
Social mentions from local tweeps
Again, there’s a local marketplace online as well. People talk about business, new developments, products on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more. All these social mentions find their way to Google’s sensors as well. The search engine will pick up on positive or negative vibes and use these to help them rank your local agency. If a lot of people talk about your agency and/or link to your website, you must be relevant. Monitor these mentions and engage.
Optimize your content for better local rankings
Google won’t rank your site for a keyword if that keyword isn’t on your website. It’s as simple as that.
Write about your area, community events or amenities in the area. As easy as that!
Google itself talks about local ranking factors in terms of:
- Relevance: are you the relevant result for the user? Does your website match what the user is looking for?
- Distance: how far away are you located? If you are relevant and near, you’ll get a good ranking.
- Prominence: this is about how well your business is known.
Addressing the address
If you are a local real estate agency, why wouldn’t you add your address to your website? This is the most basic starting point for getting in on the local rankings.
From there you should add a Google My Business listing. Google My Business allows for customer reviews as well, and you should really aim to get some of those for your listing. Positive reviews (simply ask satisfied customers to leave a review) help the way Google and it’s visitors regard your business.
If people talk positively about your real estate agency, more people will be inclined to use you when it is time to sell or buy their properties.
Getting reviews is one. You can keep the conversation going by responding to these reviews and, as Google puts it, be a friend, not a salesperson.
Your site’s NAP needs to be exactly the same as your Google My Business listing’s NAP
Even if your business has multiple locations, make sure to match the main NAP (name, address, phone number) on your website with the Google My Business NAP. That is the only way to make sure Google makes the right connection between the two.
Facebook listing and reviews
What goes for Google My Business, goes for Facebook as well. Add your company as a page for a local business to Facebook here. People search a lot on Facebook as well, so you’d better make sure your listing on Facebook is in order.
Facebook also allows for reviews.
Social mentions from local tweeps
Again, there’s a local marketplace online as well. People talk about business, new developments, products on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and more. All these social mentions find their way to Google’s sensors as well. The search engine will pick up on positive or negative vibes and use these to help them rank your local agency. If a lot of people talk about your agency and/or link to your website, you must be relevant. Monitor these mentions and engage.
Optimize your content for better local rankings
Google won’t rank your site for a keyword if that keyword isn’t on your website. It’s as simple as that.
Write about your area, community events or amenities in the area. As easy as that!